The Help Santa Toy Parade’s new route.
The Help Santa Toy Parade has a new route and start time this year because of concerns over the Bank Street revitalization project.
The parade will start at the Canadian War Museum and travel down Wellington and Elgin streets, instead of taking Bank Street to Lansdowne Park.
The City of Ottawa requested that the parade avoid Bank Street.
“They were concerned that the construction wouldn’t be done in time for the parade,” says parade chairperson Kevin Lambert. “They didn’t want a child walking through a semi-completed construction site, and we agreed with that.”
The construction is now basically finished, but the changed route is understandable because of earlier uncertainty about the construction period, says Gerry LePage, executive director of the Bank Street Promenade Business Improvement Area.
While the parade is usually held in late November, this year it will be held on Dec. 5, to not coincide with other community parades.
The parade’s start time has also been changed from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., because the museum was concerned the parade would affect their business. They asked the organizers to move the start time to after business hours, says Lambert.
He says that the museum has told organizers that the ongoing museum workers strike will not affect the parade.
LePage says the parade has been a mixed bag for Bank Street businesses in the past. While some businesses profit from the parade, others suffer because their customers are discouraged by the crowds clogging the retail area.
But LePage says that despite this, the Bank Street BIA is always in favour of the parade.
“It brings the community together,” he says. “Our members are members of this community. It’s not strictly an economy question.”
“Now that the construction is over, hopefully we’ll see the Santa Claus Parade return to Bank Street in the future.”
The new parade route is closer to the Rideau Centre, but Rideau Centre general manager Cindy VanBuskirk says that historically the parade has been good for business.
She says that the time change is good for the Rideau Centre because it is open later with holiday hours.
“Saturday evening traffic in the mall is usually light,” she says, “so to spread the traffic out by having people in the downtown core is a good business opportunity.”
Lambert says the new route and start time has provoked complaints from parents with young children. He says most parents understand the reasons for the changes, and while some have said they aren’t going to be able to attend, he hopes most can find a way.
He says sponsors are excited about the changes. “A-Channel, in particular loved the idea of a nighttime parade and filming it across from Parliament Hill.”
Lambert says he is unsure if the parade will return to Bank Street next year.